mn90403

That is also my favorite coil for the Equinox, but it reminds me of exactly where my coil ears broke for the CTX 17".

This is the flaw in the Minelab pinch system.  If you notice where your coil ears broke it was in line with the outer edges of the tightening screw.  That edge tightens very close to the area where the coil ear comes off the coil.  There is no flex at that particular point.  This plastic can't move to tighten against the bushing or the shaft so over a period of increased tightening and bushing shrinkage it must snap.  Mine did.

I do not tighten my Equinox as much based upon my experience.

My suggestion for Minelab is to make the coil ears work without breaking is to lengthen them.  Put the hole farther away from the coil on the ears and allow them to flex.  It might only need 3/4" of an inch more above the coil and then it will tighten without breaking at that spot.

The ear breaking at the eye/hole requires a different idea, but I think mine broke like yours when there was only one ear working and/or I glued a broken single ear several times before the second ear broke off.

At the time my 'ear' broke off I didn't even know what you called it.

My 17" coil for the CTX still works perfectly.  My solution was to buy a 'jig' for the end of the shaft that let me attach the smoothed off shaft (no ears) with tie straps.  It doesn't shift or jiggle so I'm fine with it 5 plus years later.

That is great!  Thanks.

I wish he had picked up the hot rock and then you could see if the shot brightened up a bit.

I wonder what a coin next to a hot rock would do.  

Rather than a hot rock, what if it was trash iron?  Would you see other metals near (above, below, near) an iron horse shoe?

Good story.  

The 'truth' of the matter is that trash can sound like a big, shallow nugget, not the other way around.  The nugget was there first.

I've been fortunate enough to find a couple of big nuggets that sounded like trash.  As Fred Mason would say I just didn't know any better.  What is a big, shallow nugget supposed to sound like?

The first big nugget (1.5 oz) was easy.  When it overloaded my 5000 I looked down and saw it.  It was a sunbaker!  (It didn't really sound any different than some of the other trash in that wash.)  The second one was a big specimen.  It was in the same general area of Franconia.  It was a loud target that was not on the surface like a can or 50 cal bullet but it was loud enough to make me dig.  Once you get down a foot into cobbles in an undug ravine it is hard for it to be trash.  Other large nuggets have been found in that same 20-30 square mile area.

I don't know how many large or larger nuggets I've missed over the years.  I don't know what I don't know.  No one has told me 'You missed this one!'

Thanks Steve.  I said protype I noticed, and you picked up it should have been prototype.  You just don't go from a prototype to a protype easily.  At least Fisher didn't.

Oh my, you need some serious nugget patch adjustments.  What happened to dig everything?  You will be kicking yourself forever about that missed nugget.  That is what we hope for even amongst the trash.

Anyone we know who found it?  haha  How big?

3 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

I'm really hating the fact that I'm coming off like an Axiom salesperson, as that was never my intent when this all started. I simply wanted to help a U.S. manufacturer do something to stay in the game and give people who are interested some different options.

Steve,

It is part of the process.  You are passionate about your help that you provide.  You state it from your perspective which sometimes doesn't translate to the finished product.  You make it sound like your desires are accurately incorporated into the final product which you don't have control of.

I bought one of the Fisher's based upon this passion of yours.  My model was defective out of the box.  Was that your fault?  Of course, not but I felt 'taken advantage of' for buying a detector that was not ready for prime time.  The truth of the matter was that you told everyone that it was a protype.  That project has since developed problems with some users happy and others disappointed.  You sold yours but you were passionate about the possibilities.  The finished product fell short.

You gave input to the 6000.  Your model didn't have the problems that some others had.  You were passionate about its possibilities.

Now another manufacturer is listening to your passion, and they are trying to bring the detector to the finish line.  We hope this project meets your expectations but there is no perfect detector.  There is only the latest standing on the shoulders of all the other detectors that it will be compared with.

Thanks for your passion, Steve (and Gerry).  You serve as our Defacto user in the process of making more user-friendly detectors.

6 hours ago, klunker said:

Wasn't it kind of creepy finding the human foot shown in your last photo?

I find that foot often in my photos so it isn't creepy any more.

And now for some completely useless information.

I have collected all of the coins and dated them.  These were the coins I found from the two nights on the same beach.  There were just a couple of dry sand coins in the mix.  I only counted copper pennies because so many dates could not be read on the zincs.

The data shows that silver coins are very, very rare.  There were not any found on these two nights.  There were only two coins found dated before 64!

These counts don't give a real indication as to when they were lost other than the most recents.  You can't lose a coin in 1970 on the beach if its date is 2020.

Am I missing a pattern here?

1 hour ago, Gerry in Idaho said:

I feel it would have already been out if not for Steve H. and I both complaining about a few things. 

Complain, complain, complain!

Good job Gerry.  Keep it up.  Gold patches are depleted so this detector may be their best shot at a volume seller at that price point.  It would be difficult to survive a massive recall or social media rejection over fixable, desirable items.

7 hours ago, strick said:

Nice work Mitchel... that’s a lot of digging. When your in a good patch you gotta take advantage of it while you can.  I’m sure you will have a few more good days before it all gets covered up...and you will find that patch of gold. 

Strick

This was from last night.  No gold patch yet.  I was looking for it and only dug a few of the coins ($8.31) I heard because they were coin numbers in a jewelry spot.  Some parts of your patch you have to dig it all.  I got tired and disappointed a bit with my 'go to' spot for gold.

1 hour ago, Joe D. said:

You were very lucky not getting hurt, or breaking your equipment!🍀

Joe,

I just realized something about the way I carry my detector that probably made a difference.  I don't wear a cuff!  I just put my elbow in the holder I got from Steve's Rods (the original broke too many times to glue any more) and away I go.  When I fell I let go of the detector and it was not stressed nor my body.

There are no silver coins in the mix.  Most of the coins are 'blown in' from the deep but a few are from the wash down of the bank.  They are stained and corroded with very few with dates in the last couple of years.

This was from about 10-3 AM.  If I would have known I was that far away from 100 quarters I would have kept going but you have to get some sleep sometime.

I'm sure this is a false alarm on winter being here.  Check back in December and there won't be any snow to speak of and we'll be getting a 'climate change' report that says he didn't need to stop after all.

The outside said 98!

I think there has been a SS choice for many years.

On 10/30/2022 at 6:06 AM, schoolofhardNox said:

Well, that was not bad for a beach that lacks targets.

I don't want to give the impression that the beaches I detect lack targets.  At times they are loaded with targets.  It depends on the wave energy.  This is a hunt from last night on the same beaches with my 800/15.

I noticed the difference in the way I had to handle the scoop.  The 5000 is a bit more sensitive to it from a greater distance but the 15 was picking up things in the very wet sand too but you really have to listen carefully.  That is how I found the stainless-steel high school (United Township High, Illinois) class ring.  It had rust on it and was down in the wave wash about 7 inches or so.  The 5000 would probably have been less chatty.

On 10/28/2022 at 6:26 PM, Steve Herschbach said:

On this location in 1980 the Hand of Faith was found

I was there on my Australia trip.  It was raining at the time.  I tried some spots a couple of miles away just to say I detected near there.  More 'markers' are scattered around that part of Victoria, but the nuggets weren't found with metal detectors.

On 10/25/2022 at 10:26 AM, schoolofhardNox said:

I hope you do get the 5000 out and try for some deep stuff. What have you got to lose? 😉 Would love to see a hunt from your location with a 5000.

I got out yesterday for a couple of hours at low tide.  I ran it in sharp as you suggested with 11 being the best level.  It was a beginning pleasure to hear the old signals again and look at all the controls but by the end of the session I remembered why I had given it up for VLFs on our beaches!

I did find one cheap ring at a beach I hunt often.  I had found the other 'ring' near the water line.  The Coiltek did really well near the low tide waters.  The threshold was steadier than my 800 or my Z.  I used my harness and hip stick so it was weightless.

After a bit of time, I realized I was more concerned about the detector than the beach.  I didn't have enough time to grid some of my old areas but wave energy is so low now I don't think it would have made much difference.

I'll have to say that this 5000 battery is remarkable.  It is the original from 2010 and it charged and lasted the entire session without a blip.  The 5000 itself seems in good shape.  It got exposed to night beach hunts way back in 2010-2012 and it seems ok.  I'll have to get it out into the desert again.

Well done Strick.

When the wind blows out of the north here is is almost a Santa Ana.  That makes the bay flat.  We need a good NW or WNW blow in the winter for good beach targets here.  Bring on some El Nino storms I say.

It would probably help us if there was a picture with a reference coin.

17 hours ago, F350Platinum said:

These coins are crusty, I have no idea why but they've been sitting in the dry dirt for 50 years so who knows. Not the usual shape I find silver in, I'm not sure what to do to clean them up.

I think it might have something to do with the farm animals that occupied the barn!

I'd clean them with one of the aluminum foil treatments.  That baking soda should do the trick.

Very nice.  It will fill your thoughts with gathering spots or perhaps you will look at the old pictures for the area.

NETRonline: Historic Aerials

Gerrie should have tossed you a bone!

Skate,

I know your reputation in SB has to be the greatest.  All of your clients should put together a party for you and invite some reality TV producer.

You'd have us watching.

Mitchel